Jason steps up to the bar for Children’s Adventure Farm Trust

COMEDIAN Jason Manford has urged fans to donate money to the Children’s Adventure Farm Trust to say thank you following his generous round at the bar.

The former 8 Out of 10 Cats panellist surprised guests by offering to buy the 835-strong crowd a drink to apologise for being 40 minutes late to his own show at the Engine Shed in Lincoln on Saturday.

But, after picking up the £3,530 bar bill as a gesture for keeping people waiting, Jason was inundated with requests from fans wanting to buy him a drink.

Posting on his Facebook page on Monday, Jason wrote: “A few people in the Lincoln area and various other places have said ‘hey mate, I'd love to buy you a pint’ and, whilst that is very nice, it is not really workable.

“So instead, could you donate just £2 to this loveliest of charities? I've been a patron of CAFT for so long.

“We struggle every year to make ends meet and give children who are terminally ill, dying or underprivileged a holiday they will never forget.”
Senior trust fundraiser Helen Crowther at CAFT in Millington said she wasn’t surprise by Jason’s post.

She said: “He’s a fantastic patron who does so much for us, and not all of it in the public eye. He attends events when he can, raises awareness and visits the children.

“Jason is always very moved by the children when he visits and will always manage to make them laugh.

“He has helped us to raise so much money for the Adventure Farm, and he’s as generous with his money as he is his time.”

Following Jason’s post, CAFT received more than £1,000 in donations on Monday with the figure set to grow and saw web hits jump up to 3,000 unique visitors.